Thank you letters

By the Midland Daily News

Published 8:00 am, Saturday, December 6, 2014

A lot of villages helped after loss of Reed Phillips

To the editor:

There is a saying “it takes a village to raise a child.”

In our case, it has been that “village” that has helped us tremendously through the loss of our son, brother and friend Reed Phillips. The unbelievable outpouring of love and support for our family has been overwhelming since the sudden passing of Reed in July. We are thankful for the friendships we have been blessed with from the Bullock Creek community, Wally Mayton, our softball family, Central Michigan University, Clarkson University and the list goes on and on.

We want to say a special thank you to Tom Neuenfeldt. His commitment to coordinating the “Hackin’ it FOREward” for Reed golf outing fundraiser was above and beyond anything we could have asked for. The proceeds from this event went towards a scholarship fund in Reed’s name at Bullock Creek High School. Tom’s endearing efforts made the golf outing, along with various other activities, a success.

In addition to Tom, we would also like to thank all of the sponsors of the golf outing:

Our village/community has extended way beyond our small town and immersed into the various places where Reed had made an impact in his life. This includes Clarkson University where he and his fellow classmate Kathleen Kafka were studying to become physical therapists. Both perished in the accident and a memorial scholarship was established by their classmates to celebrate their lives and provide a scholarship to help future doctorate of physical therapy students like them. The Kafka-Phillips Memorial Scholarship can be supported through Clarkson University.

Central Michigan University also held a special place in Reed’s heart as that is where he graduated with his athletic training degree. His professors, classmates, and friends were all devastated at the loss of such a young life. Together with the family, a Reed Phillips Athletic Training Award fund has been established and once endowed will provide scholarship assistance to an athletic training student.

If you are interested in donating money towards the Central Michigan University Scholarship for Reed, you can do so by going to: https://www.cmich.edu/der/Giving/Pages/OnlineGiving.aspx. Then under “select college or program,” use the drop down and click on “The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions.” It will bring up a list of funds. Scroll down to the “Reed Phillips Athletic Training Award” and click on the plus sign. From there, just fill out the rest and it will all go to the fund. All donations are tax deductible.

To love and be loved by so many wonderful people has been the glue that has held us all together. We could not have made it through this time without all of you. Reed may be gone from our world, but will forever be in the hearts of those who knew him. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. #LIVELIKEREED